Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel Members

Backgrounder

Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel Members

The following 13 members have been appointed to the Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel.

Anne Golden, Chair -- Ryerson University

Anne Golden, Ph.D., C.M., was the president and chief executive officer of the Conference Board of Canada from 2001 to 2012. Previously, Dr. Golden served as president of the United Way of Greater Toronto for 14 years.

Dr. Golden gained national recognition for her role in the public policy arena through chairing two influential task forces: one in 1996 for the provincial government on the future of the Toronto area, and another in 1998 for the City of Toronto and the federal government on homelessness. Both of her reports, Greater Toronto: Report of the GTA Task Force, and Taking Responsibility for Homelessness: An Action Plan for Toronto, remain relevant and are still referenced today in academic courses. Also noteworthy is her work on The Canada Project, the largest public policy project undertaken by the Conference Board of Canada, for which she co-authored Volume III: Mission Possible: Successful Canadian Cities.

Author of numerous publications on public policy issues, Dr. Golden has held research positions including director of policy research for the Ontario Liberal Party (1981-82), special advisor to the provincial leader of the opposition (1978-81), and research coordinator for the Bureau of Municipal Research (1973-78).

In 2003, Dr. Golden's commitment to social justice was recognized in her appointment by the Governor General as a Member of the Order of Canada. She has received eight honorary doctorates from McMaster University (2011), University of Calgary (2011), University of Western Ontario (2008), Royal Roads University (2005), the University of Toronto (2002), York University (2000), and Ryerson Polytechnic University (1997),including an honorary diploma from Loyalist College (2005).

Paul Bedford, Vice Chair -- University of Toronto

Paul Bedford is a Member and Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners, with over 40 years of experience in urban planning. As Toronto's chief city planner for eight years, he championed numerous innovative planning strategies including the "Kings", a new city-wide official plan and a principles plan for the central waterfront called "Making Waves".

Since his retirement in 2004, he has been appointed adjunct professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. He serves on the National Capital Commission's planning advisory committee, Waterfront Toronto's design review panel and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's property committee to help guide the long-term redevelopment of Canada's largest mental health campus. From 2006 to 2011, he served on the Metrolinx board of directors along with mayors and regional chairs of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and developed a $50 billion regional transit plan called the Big Move. He is also a senior associate of the Canadian Urban Institute, a frequent public speaker, writer and passionate advocate of city life.

Cherise has written dozens of energy, transportation, urban development and forestry policy publications -- reports, academic articles, opeds, fact sheets and popular articles -- and has delivered dozens of presentations in these topic areas. She is also a regular blogger and tweeter.

Her 17-year career as a policy specialist and senior manager includes stints as program director with the David Suzuki Foundation and as a research associate with the Polis Institute at University of Victoria's Faculty of Law.

An expert in clean energy policy, Cherise has a lauded ability to translate complex information into accessible communications pieces. Her top skills include strategic planning, policy development, communications, government and stakeholder relations, project and partnership development, and managing multiple projects, budgets and staff.

Gordon Chong -- Former Toronto City Councillor

Gordon Joseph Chong has been very active in both the political sphere and the community. He was a City of Toronto and Metro Toronto councillor from 1980 to 1982, then returned to Metro council in 1994.

Councillor Chong also served as citizenship judge in the Canadian Court of Citizenship (1991-1994) and vice-chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission (1988-1989).

Councillor Chong was a founding member of the Toronto Mayor's Committee on Community and Race Relations. He also participated on David Crombie's "Who does What" Panel on provincial and municipal disentanglement. In the community, Councillor Chong was a former director of the Mon Sheong Foundation and Home for the Aged and was on the board of the Community Information Centre of Metro Toronto. He is also a founding director of the Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals.

Teresa Di Felice -- Canadian Automobile Association

Teresa Di Felice has a strong history of working with the public sector on transportation and infrastructure development, including participating on committees discussing traffic safety and electric vehicles. She also understands city politics, having served as executive assistant to Toronto Deputy Mayor Case Ootes. Teresa Di Felice has a bachelor of arts (honours) from the University of Toronto.

Patrick Dillon -- Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario

Patrick Dillon is the business manager and secretary treasurer of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario. He has held this position since Jan. 1997. Patrick began his career in the construction industry as an apprentice electrician in 1961 and became a journeyman in 1966. Following 18 years of experience in the construction industry, he was elected business manager of Local 105 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

In 1991, he was elected executive chair of the IBEW - Construction Council of Ontario. Patrick was appointed by the Government of Ontario to serve on the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Infrastructure Ontario, the 2015 Toronto-Greater Golden Horseshoe Pan Am Games Committee, and recently the Appointments Council for the Ontario College of Trades. He is also a member of the Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance where he joins other civic leaders in addressing the region's economic and infrastructure needs.

Mr. Dillon also sits on a number of construction industry boards, including those of the Ontario Construction Secretariat, the Construction Sector Council of Canada, the Workers' Arts and Heritage Centre and the De Novo Treatment Centre.

Iain Dobson -- Real Estate Search Corporation

Iain Dobson is the co-founder of the Real Estate Search Corp., and co-founder of the Strategic Regional Research. He has co-authored three reports: Region in Transportation 2013, Planning for Employment Uses in Toronto 2012, and The New Geography of Office Location and the Consequences of Business as Usual: a review of the importance of connecting workplace to transit.

Mr. Dobson currently volunteers at the University of Toronto Schools' search committee and has also volunteered on the DAIR committee at Centennial College to form an aerospace cluster. He holds a bachelor of arts (honours) from Trent University.

Kulvir Gill -- Citizen Member

Mr. Gill has a strong community connection, volunteering as a board member for Habitat for Humanity in Brampton for more than five years and having co-founded the Seva Food Bank (Sikhs Serving Canada).

He has more than 10 years of long-term planning and innovation strategy development experience, including his role as a senior principal at Clareo Partners and as a business innovation firm and organization effectiveness manager at Barrick Gold. Mr. Gill holds a bachelor of science degree in biological science and a bachelor of commerce degree.

Blake Hutcheson -- Oxford Properties

Blake Hutcheson is responsible for Oxford's overall business, including its long-term strategy and objectives, and leading the executive management team in the execution of the global business plan. He will also lead Oxford's capital under management strategy and relationship-building efforts with key partners around the world, and actively participate in OMERS capital-raising initiatives.

Mr. Hutcheson was most recently head of Global Real Estate with Mount Kellett Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm with offices in key locations around the globe. Prior to that, he spent 14 years with CB Richard Ellis in Toronto, most recently as president of the Canadian, Latin American and Mexican operations.

He holds a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Western Ontario, a graduate diploma in international relations and comparative politics from the London School of Economics and a master's in real estate development from Columbia University.

Andy Manahan brings over 20 years of experience in the construction industry to the panel. He has served as director of industry relations for the Ontario Home Builder's Association, vice-president of the Council of Ontario Construction Associations and as a representative for the Universal Workers Union, Local 183.

He has been a board member of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance since 2005 and has served as its executive director since 2006. An active community volunteer, he was a member of the Civic Action transportation working group, and the Metrolinx advisory committee on regional transportation (2007-08). Mr. Manahan holds a masters in Geography and a bachelor of arts (honours) in Urban Studies/Geography.

Joseph S. Mancinelli -- Labourers' International Union of North America

Joseph S. Mancinelli is LiUNA International vice president and regional manager for central and eastern Canada, a diverse union with over 600,000 members, of which over 90,000 are in Canada.

Mr. Mancinelli is also chair of the Labourers' Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada, whose total portfolio is in excess of $3.5 billion. He is president of the LiUNA Ontario District Council, chair of the Labourers' Central and Eastern Canada Organizing Fund and is a trustee on the LiUNA Tri-Funds.

Mr. Mancinelli is president of LiUNA Local 837, his home local, which he has been a member of since 1978. He also oversees many of its related entities, including its health and welfare plan, its training trust fund and the LiUNA Hamilton Association. He is also president of the LiUNA Group, which oversees the Liuna Gardens and Liuna Station banquet facilities and its long-term care division, overseeing Queens Garden and Regina Gardens.

Joseph is a champion of historical causes. Through his vision and tenacity, LiUNA has restored several of Hamilton's historical sites including the CN Rail Station and the Lister Block.

Mr. Mancinelli was born in Hamilton on September 11, 1957. He and his wife Enza have been married for twenty-eight years. They have five children: Rosalina and her husband Alexander Winterburn, Victoria, Stefania, Enrico and Michael.

Leith Moore -- Ontario Home Builders' Association

Leith Moore is president of the Ontario Home Builders' Association. Leith most recently served as the organization's first vice president and was a member of the executive committee. In addition, he is the past chair of the GTA-based BILD (Building Industry Land Development Association), having served in that capacity in 2009 and 2010, and he continues to serve on BILD's Executive Committee.

With 30 years of experience in the building and development industry to his credit, Leith is vice president of development with the Sorbara Development Group, a real estate company with 50 years of experience in land development and investment, project management, and industrial and residential construction throughout the GTA. Leith is a graduate of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Waterloo and is now an adjunct professor at his alma mater. He is also a past chair of Evergreen, a national non-profit environmental charity.

Mohan Nadarajah -- Citizen Member

Mohan Nadarajah is the founder and CEO of PlayLab Inc., an educational start-up company based in Hamilton designed to create and deliver project-based learning and workshops for children. Previous positions included senior commercialization manager at The Innovations Group at University of Toronto for five years, enterprise development manager at the Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation at McMaster University, technology manager at the University of Toronto Innovations Foundation, president of Canadian Multicultural Media, and creator of a profitable television business at TVI.

Nadarajah is a board member for the Electrical Engineering Advisory Board at Ryerson University and Holistic Kriya Yoga Sang and also serves as a member for the Association of University Technology Managers and ACCT.

He holds a masters in business administration from Queen's University in addition to a Design Thinking Certificate from Stanford University. He is a member of Professional Engineers of Ontario.